Shangri La Nature Center

Orange, TX

Situated on Adams Bayou, this project preserves more than 250 acres of cypress / tupelo swamp and wooded uplands, while restoring the historic Shangri La Gardens. A Visitor Center at the entrance orients guests to the site's history and resources. Nature education and research facilities include an outdoor education center, classroom pavilions and bird viewing blinds, carefully situated within the preserve to provide hands-on learning opportunities. Suspended treehouse-like walkways minimize the structure’s footprint on the land. The project achieved the first LEED Platinum certification for new construction along the Gulf Coast. In collaboration with Jeffrey Carbo Landscape Architects and MESA.Photography: Paul Hester

There is something simple and seductive on how it engages the landscape. Views are simple, light, elegant, and open that are beautifully detailed. This has a totality to it from the site and landscape.